Decks have been now finally cleared for the Congress-led central government to move forward in the formation of a new state of Telangana after the Union Cabinet stamped its approval of the A.P Reorganization Bill 2013 at a special meeting late this evening.

The Union Cabinet met exclusively to discuss the contentious Telangana Bill and the other issues connected with it including the demands put forth by the Seemandhra Union Ministers held at the residence of the Prime Minister. Union from Telangana, S.Jaipal Reddy and the Union Ministers from Seemandhra K.S.Rao and Pallam Raju too were present when the central ministers deliberated for an hour the A.P. Reorganization Bill, which was earlier approved and sent with certain amendments by the Group of Ministers.

The Union Cabinet seemed is understood to have dealt at length the demands put forth by the Union Ministers from Seemandhra which included giving UT status to Hyderabad and inclusion of Bhadrachalam division in Telangana, special financial package for the region, revenue share from the Hyderabad revenue division etc. There was some heated arguments over the issue of making Hyderabad a Union Territory with both K.S.Rao and Pallam Raju insisting that this should form part of the Bill.

Informed sources said that AICC President Sonia Gandhi had already cautioned the Group of Ministers headed by Sushil Kumar Shinde to avoid taking decision that might only create more problems for resolving and in this contest seemed to mentioned that it would be in fitness of things to remain silent on the demand for making Hyderabad a UT. Thus the GoM seemed to have sent the Bill to the Union Cabinet without any mention about this aspect and accordingly the question of making Hyderabad a UT territory has been put under the carpet.

Now with the Union Cabinet showing its green flag for the Central Government to go ahead with the formation of Telangana State, the Bill is expected to reach Rashtrapathi Bhavan for the consent of the President of India, which in all probability might be only a formality, the A.P. Reorganization Bill be last expected to be introduced in parliament on Monday or Tuesday.

Meanwhile to ensure that the Bill would not encounter any hurdles in parliament, the Congress High Command deputed its senior leaders Digvijay Singh and Gulam Nabu Azad to mobilize support of the main opposition party BJP. The two leaders had a series of consultation with senior BJP leader M.Venkaiah Naidu in this regard. However, the BJP had made it amply clear that the party would extend support for the passage of the Bill only after certain crucial aspects to resolve the apprehensions of the people of the Seemandhra region are incorporated in the Bill. Whether the central government had fulfilled the demand is not yet know.